Ukraine's Zelenskiy sees middle ground with Russia on gas transit, rules out 1-year deal

PARIS, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday Kiev and Moscow could reach an agreement on a new gas transit deal before the end of the year, and saw scope for compromise between their respective demands.

Ukraine and Russia have been holding negotiations on a new gas transit deal to replace a 10-year agreement that expires at the end of this year. Moscow said last week the transit tariffs proposed by Kiev were too high.

Speaking after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelenskiy said that they had taken the option of a one-year deal off the table and that he asked for a ten-year deal.

"I think we will find something in the middle," he said in televised comments. (Reporting by Natalia Zinets in Kiev; writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Himani Sarkar)